Dress Code - No Jeans policy

In a recent post which included all the Daily Viking sheets for a recent West Indies Explorer cruise itinerary there was an interesting change to the existing Dress Code on Viking Star.

The existing website under FAQ's has the following Dress Code:

Dress during the day is casual including shorts (if the season is warm), trousers or jeans and comfortable shoes for walking tours. There are no “formal nights” and evening dress (after 6:00 PM) is “elegant casual” such as a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse for ladies; for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt are required in all evening dining venues. Ties and jackets are optional.

However, on the Viking Daily on Friday October 28th it adds after the sentence that Ties and jackets are optional that "jeans are not allowed". I was on Viking Star last year and jeans were permitted.

This no jeans policy at any dining venue in the evening has subsequently been confirmed by Viking Customer Services here in the UK.

I have asked them to update the FAQ's to avoid any embarrassment on future cruises.

I have no issues with the change in policy (although some others may have a problem) but is should be clearly communicated.

Regards

Neil

I agree. I have witnessed others who were turned away. Not only were they embarrassed, they were angered of not being specifically notified of such policy.

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The dress policy is clearly stated in the cruise docks that we receive three weeks prior to boarding. If it doesn't say, "no jeans" in that written statement of policy, then I would stick it under the nose of the head waiter and the hotel manager and tell them that I am following the dress code that was in force at the time I packed my bags and that they are bit late in telling me of a change of policy.

It does clearly say in the dress policy from our June cruise docs that "daytime dress" is acceptable in the World Cafe at any time. Is this policy also changing?

Still, I laugh at the moniker "elegant casual" since I have never, ever been able to pull off "elegant" and have long since stopped trying.

That's insane! There was one long excursion I went on where by the time I got back - wearing jeans and hiking boots - it was late and I raced to the world cafe to grab whatever was still available before dinner service stopped. If they had turned me away cuz I was in jeans, I hate to be crude but I would have been royally pissed. I've read a post here by somebody who looked down their nose at the casual dress code and the "low expectations" of VR cruisers like us. I would hope that VO didn't respond to that snob. Or others like them. What I like about Viking is their unsnobby attitude.

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On my first day aboard Viking Star, I noticed the information in the Viking Daily about the dress code. Specifically, this sentence caught my attention:

"For gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt are required in all dining venues after 6 PM."

The key word in that sentence that stood out for me was "all". The World Cafe is a dining venue, therefore I interpreted the dress code to say that if I wanted to eat in the World Cafe that night, I had better not wear shorts or jeans.

So, I dressed up in Dockers-brand trousers, a collared long-sleeve dress shirt, and a nice pair of dress shoes... and headed off to the World Cafe for dinner. Upon arrival, I immediately noticed lots of the male passengers in the World Cafe were wearing shorts and flip-flops, and also jeans. They were MUCH more casually dressed than the dress code seemed to imply they should be. This confused me.

I noticed one of the ship's officers in the World Cafe, wearing a uniform, with stripes on the shoulders. So, I went over to him and ask him to explain the dress code to me, as people were much more casually dressed than I expected. He explained to me that there is no dress code in the World Cafe. He said it's their casual buffet-style dining venue and that people can dress as casually as they want in the World Cafe. He also laughed and said that if they tried to have a dress code in the World Cafe, there would be a riot! It's where people go to have a relaxing, casual meal.

I was VERY glad to hear this from him, as I am a very casual dresser by nature, especially on vacation in the Caribbean. So, to learn that I could wear shorts, flip-flops, and a short-sleeved tropical-themed shirt to the World Cafe at dinner was VERY good news to me. The last thing I want to do on vacation is dress up.

However, I should mention that in the evenings, if you go to the Atrium or to the Star Theater... or, of course, to any dining venue other than the World Cafe... that almost everyone will be dressed in "Elegant Casual" mode. I did see a few men wear shorts and very casual clothing in the atrium or in the theater in the evenings, but the vast majority of people were dressed nicer.

So, what I learned on my first Viking cruise is that I didn't have to be quite as dressed up as I originally thought I would have to be... as long as I was OK with having dinner in the World Cafe... but that I did have to put on the Dockers and nice shoes in order to not stick out in the Atrium or the Star Theater in the evenings.

This all seems very sensible and I would clearly support a more casual dress code in the World Cafe. All that I urge is that Viking ensure that the dress code that is published reflects what they expect to happen, that it is consistently and sensitively enforced and that the website, pre-cruise documentation and on board communication is all the same.

Hopefully tellus@viking will pick this up and ensure that this happens.

Neil

That's insane! There was one long excursion I went on where by the time I got back - wearing jeans and hiking boots - it was late and I raced to the world cafe to grab whatever was still available before dinner service stopped. If they had turned me away cuz I was in jeans, I hate to be crude but I would have been royally pissed. I've read a post here by somebody who looked down their nose at the casual dress code and the "low expectations" of VR cruisers like us. I would hope that VO didn't respond to that snob. Or others like them. What I like about Viking is their unsnobby attitude.

 

 

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Well put. I wanted to say something similar but couldn't find the right way of putting it. However, in the world of cruising, it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease and those of us who are happy with the relaxed dress code need to continue to express this directly to management, especially when we fill out surveys.

"Ties and jackets are optional" - can anyone give me an idea of what proportion of men do wear jackets and/or ties to dinner on Viking Ocean cruises?

We're on Viking Sea, 20 Nov. I'd rather not bother with a jacket or tie, sticking to smart chinos and a collar shirt, but don't want to be in a small minority.

Well put. I wanted to say something similar but couldn't find the right way of putting it. However, in the world of cruising, it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease and those of us who are happy with the relaxed dress code need to continue to express this directly to management, especially when we fill out surveys.

Thanks!

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"Ties and jackets are optional" - can anyone give me an idea of what proportion of men do wear jackets and/or ties to dinner on Viking Ocean cruises?

 

We're on Viking Sea, 20 Nov. I'd rather not bother with a jacket or tie, sticking to smart chinos and a collar shirt, but don't want to be in a small minority.

While each sailing has its own vibe and its own demographic, you should not be in a small minority if you leave your jacket home.

We've been on two Viking Ocean Cruises and saw very few ties or jackets. We saw jeans in the World cafe but people were dressed nicer than that at night in the other restaurants. :)

I take the change in wording as a clarification, not a change. Jeans are not "trousers," but apparently that had to be spelled out for some people. ;)

I think Viking needs to change this one line in their dress code:

"For gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt are required in all dining venues after 6 PM."

I think it should be corrected to:

"For gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt are required after 6 PM in all dining venues except for the World Cafe."

On our recent cruise men with jackets were very much in the minority but frankly nobody cared what anyone else was wearing. It was a very relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere.

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binbin, I pray ours will be the same. Makes for a very nice relaxing vacation.

We've been on two Viking Ocean Cruises and saw very few ties or jackets. We saw jeans in the World cafe but people were dressed nicer than that at night in the other restaurants. :)

Which is exactly how I interpreted their dress code. The world cafe is casual - not slobby but casual - and the other eating venues are a little more formal.

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To Viking... the world has become a very casual place. The industry I work in is casual, jeans, are common place and can be dressed up with a nice collared shirt. Look at what Steve Jobs wore when he made major announcements, jeans. I think you are moving in the wrong direction if you want to attract the under 50 age group.

We will pack dockers for dinner but are disappointed in this dress code change! If I was not a member of cruise critic we would have shown up for dinner in nice jeans and collared shirts.

To Viking... the world has become a very casual place. The industry I work in is casual, jeans, are common place and can be dressed up with a nice collared shirt. Look at what Steve Jobs wore when he made major announcements, jeans. I think you are moving in the wrong direction if you want to attract the under 50 age group.

 

We will pack dockers for dinner but are disappointed in this dress code change! If I was not a member of cruise critic we would have shown up for dinner in nice jeans and collared shirts.

Where did you hear they want to attract the under 50 age group? Their marketing has been clear that they focus on 55+

Yes, I'm 59 years old and I was probably in the youngest 2% of the passengers on Viking Star during my cruise. The youngest passenger I saw was somewhere around 40, and the median passenger age was probably pretty close to 70.

It seems pretty clear that Viking is not trying to be everything to everyone... and is instead focusing on a particular niche of experienced, older cruisers.

That's not to say that an under-40 first time cruiser would not enjoy a Viking cruise, but I think they would like the entertainment much more on one of the big cruise lines. The music, dancing, stage shows, and the general pace of the evening's entertainment are all better suited to the 55+ demographic.

Greetings

We were on Viking Sea for the Barcelona to Venice cruise that ended on 28 October. One thing that was very noticeable was that there seemed to be no enforced dress code. There were plenty of jeans in the MDR but also shorts, t's, and sneakers were seen almost every night. And if you're going to wear sneakers at least invest in some low rise socks. White knee socks on men at dinner just looks silly. Or maybe that's a new fashion trend that just hasn't reached us in Florida yet. We were left wondering if there was a dress code.

Good Sailing

Tom

The jeans subject comes up so often on many cruise sites. It definitely is the sign of the times and by no means if someone shows up in jeans will it affect my dinner. By doctor's orders, my feet need to be in good New Balance athletic shoes at all times even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It would be nice to be able to wear them to dinner but I know it would be frowned upon. I will go to dinner in discomfort so I don't upset anyone.

The jeans subject comes up so often on many cruise sites. It definitely is the sign of the times and by no means if someone shows up in jeans will it affect my dinner. By doctor's orders, my feet need to be in good New Balance athletic shoes at all times even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It would be nice to be able to wear them to dinner but I know it would be frowned upon. I will go to dinner in discomfort so I don't upset anyone.

And who says you can't wear your New Balance to dinner?? Dress code only says trousers and shirt with collar. If anyone gives you a hard time, tell them you have a note from your doctor.

The jeans subject comes up so often on many cruise sites. It definitely is the sign of the times and by no means if someone shows up in jeans will it affect my dinner. By doctor's orders, my feet need to be in good New Balance athletic shoes at all times even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It would be nice to be able to wear them to dinner but I know it would be frowned upon. I will go to dinner in discomfort so I don't upset anyone.

I should take a picture of my camel colored new balances I've worn to dinner with a nice pair of slacks and blouse. I think they look good. Clean and comfortable too. They look like these.

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The jeans subject comes up so often on many cruise sites. It definitely is the sign of the times and by no means if someone shows up in jeans will it affect my dinner. By doctor's orders, my feet need to be in good New Balance athletic shoes at all times even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It would be nice to be able to wear them to dinner but I know it would be frowned upon. I will go to dinner in discomfort so I don't upset anyone.

I'm a New Balance fan too. They do have a variety of styles in black. See if there is a model that's less "athletic" looking in that color but still meets your doctor's specifications.

For men, is a polo considered a shirt with collar at dinner? My husband likes to wear a polo with trousers instead of a button down down every night.

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